Women Textile Mill Workers from Mumbai to stage a dharna

Press Conference and Public Meeting:200 Women Textile Mill Workers will march to Delhi and hold dharna demanding rights to housing and livelihood from Smt. Sonia Gandhi on 20thFebruary 2009. The women will observe a day long fast and will rally to Sonia Gandhi’s residence.

Women from more than 7 districts in Maharshtra have marched to the Capital to share their angst against the Congress led Maharashtra Government with Mrs. Sonia Gandhi. In 1982 textile strike, more than one lakh textile workers were thrown out of the industry, illegally. In 1991, under the pretext of modernisation and reduction of losses to the mill owners, the Maharashtra Government amended the law making it possible for mill owners to sell the mill land to generate interest-free capital. On 23rd March 2001, an amendment was made saying that 50% of the land to be received by MHADA should be given for mill workers housing, and appropriate employment to be provided. As per this amendment, 200 acres of land was to be available for worker’s housing, but now due to the government’s capitalistic policies favouring mill owners subsequently the Supreme Court gave a ruling against workers and the municipal corporation. In a sitting with the mill workers, ex- Chief Minister Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh admitted that the land available was unfairly reduced and granted an FSI of 4 for mill workers housing and promised to make more land available towards housing. In the last assembly too, government declared that they will provide 55 thousand houses to mill workers. Two years later, the government is yet to act on its promises. The last three generations of mill workers who have contributed to the development of Mumbai, have been left in lurch by the government as well as the mill owners forcing hundreds of women workers to appeal at 10, Janpath.